Adjustable cushion seat template



June 9, 1942. A. D. HUMAN ADJUSTABLE cusiuon SEAT TEMPLATE Filed Aug. 26, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Adar- INVENTOR. DJI u man A. D. HUMAN ADJUSTABLE CUSHION SEAT TEMPLATE Filed Aug. 26, 1946 June 9, 1942.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

June 9, 1942; A. D. HUMAN ADJUSTABLE CUSHION SEAT TEMPLATE s Sheets' Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 26, 1940 mum-n 11,1111! IN-VENTOR; (onzoflffuman Patented June 9, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE CUSHION SEAT TEMPLATE Alonzo D. Human, San Bernardino, Calif. Application August 26, 1940, Serial No. 355,466

Claims.

The cushion template of this invention is an improvement upon my loo-pending application for Letters Patent, entitled Adjustable cushion form, Serial Number 211,380, as filed June 2, 1938, and has among its objects:

First, the provision of means in general combination to facilitate expansion of the sides of the template and control thereof to the end that a more accurate pattern of a cushion top may be had than has heretofore been possible.

Second, an improved inter-locking template corner construction which permits of movement in excess of 180 degrees without possibility of disengagement.

Third, an improved means to control and apply pressure to the flexible sides of the template whereby greater conformity with the contour of the seat may be had.

Fourth, an improved means to lock the template sides in any given contour whereby the pattern obtained may be more accurately transferred to the material to be worked upon.

Fifth, an improved construction in the template side-members which permits longitudinal movement thereof to meet a varied number of size requirements, and in relation thereto, means to lock the expansible side-members in any given functional position.

Sixth, the provision of means in co-operation with the fifth object, to guard, shield, and guide the expansible side-members through their range of movement.

.Figure 5 is a side-view of the template, showing the expansible sides in elevation and cutting through the interlocking corners, the view is primarily designed to show the position of a slot formed in each of the over-lapping side members to enable longitudinal movement thereof.

Figure 6 is a sectional view in plan, being taken on line 65, in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a detail in section showing the longitudinally movable side-members and their support and relation to the body of the template, including means to lock the side-members in any given position.

Figure 8 is a side-elevation taken on line 8-8 in Figure 1 intended to show the relation of the body of the template to the flexible side-members thereof.

The template Ill of this invention comprises a rectangular housing l2 which is formed as a Other objects of the invention may be observed from the accompanying drawing, the specification, and the appended claims.

In the drawing of which there are three sheets:

Figure l is a plan view of the cushion template of this invention, the flexible side-members being shown in a gauge which is of course disproportionate, being thus shown for the sake of clarity of detail.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the method of interlocking the side-members in their intersecting corners. this construction permits great freedom of movement to meet contour requirements.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a chair and shows application of the template in gauging the dimensional requirements thereof as a first step preparatory to building a new cushion.

Figure 4-. is a view of the uncovered bottom of the body of the template showing construction in general and particularly showing the means employed to lock the expansible sides in any given position, the view is analogous to that taken along line 44, in Figure 6.

closed box having a top portion M and a lower portion [6 which are detachably held together by means of bolts [8. Spacers 29 are adapted to hold the top and bottom portions in uniformly spaced relation.

The template is provided with expansible sides 22 which lie upon each of the four sides of the housing l2, and as shown in the drawing, particularly in Figure 7, are held in adjustable relation thereto by means of T shaped pins 24, the

Icross-bar 26 of which is swivelly positioned in the over-hanging portion 23 of clips 30 which encase the whole of the side-members 22, that is, the slidable members 32 and 34 thereof and the guides or shields 36 and as positioned upon each 1 of the sides of the housing.

The leg 24a of the pins 24 extend parallel with the top of the housing I2 and enter the sides thereof at right-angles as shown in the several figures of the drawing and are held in lateral adjustment by means of a bolt which is apertured to receive the'leg 24a. A washer or spacer t2 encircles the bolt ill and lies between the leg 24a and the under-surface Hla of the top portion I of the housing, while a wing-nut 44 is adapted to draw the bolt 40 and leg 24a upwardly against the spacer whereby the leg 24a may be definitely and positively held in releasable locked position.

The side-members 22 at each of the corners of the housing are joined in a universal joint 44a a rotational movement which is complete within the duty imposed, yet retaining the virtue of simplicity of construction and of assembly.

Attention is again directed to the drawing, and especially Figures 5 to '7 where it will be noted that the side-members 32 and 34 are each formed with a slot 46 which terminates in its one end adjacent the centrally positioned bolt 48, while the opposite ends of the slots terminate adjacent the free ends of the members 32 and 34. A wingcut 50 upon the bolt 43 is adapted to hold the side-members in any given position by compression of the shields 35 and 38 which extend parallel with the members 32 and 34 and form covers for the free ends of the members 32 and 34 in their movement to and. from different ex- 1 pansible positions. In completion of detail covering my preferred mode of construction reference is made to the handle or hand-grip 60 which provides a convenient means to move the template from one position to another either for functional use or otherwise as the case may be.

In the following description of operation or use, reference .is made to Figure 3, for here is illustratedan application of the template to a chair 62 which is-shown in plan view, and in which 64 indicates the sides thereof, while 63 and 68 indicate the back and seat portion respectively.

Usually the template when not in use has the form shown in Figure 1 or possibly the contour of the seat upon which it was last used, however, when readying-the template for use the wing-nuts 44 are each loosened and after approximately centering the body 12 of the template upon the seat or support thereof 68, and-also after loosening the wing-nuts 5D, the side-members 22 are pulled laterally so that the legs 24a of pins 24 slide through the bolts 40, and concurrently the members 32 and 34 are moved divergently 'until the side-members 2-2 are brought into abutment with the interior contourof the chair.

During the aforementioned operation the universal joints 44a swim; around their axes in a degree which permits the side-members to conform with any contour requirement likely to 'be found in standard upholstery work. After fitting the template to the contour of the inner parts of the chair, the front edge of the template is aligned with the front edge of the support 68 for the cushion. .After making certain that the sidemembers are in snug contact with the contour to be duplicated, the nuts 53 and 44 are tightened so that tension of the sheet .metal side-members cannot draw the members 22 from their set position. It is to be noted that since the side-members 22 along three of the sides of the template are curved in varying degrees that the clips 33 likewise assume varying degrees of inclination toward the body .portion l2, this is due of course to the fact that the clips snugly engage and grip the members 22 across theirsection, and because of the pivotal relation between each of the clips 30 and the cross-bar 26 of the pin 24. The apertures Mb in the sides of the portion l4 of the body l2 not only enable the .pins 24 to be moved inwardly and outwardly with respect thereto to adjust themselves to meet necessary conditions of template expansion, but the sides of the apertures form fulcrum points which keep the pins 24 in correct alignment, that is, the pins 24 are always held in a position at right angles to the body l2, the hinged relation between the clip and pin being adapted to provide necessary flexibility in warping the side-members 22 to meet contour requirements.

The foregoing statement is illustrative of use to obtain the pattern for a single cushion. If a divan is to be recushioned, the template may be set as above described for the cushion on one of the sides, thereafter it is only necessary to reversely lay the template to obtain the pattern for the cushion upon the opposite side of the divan. The middle cushion, if there are three cushions, is then measured by adjusting the released sides to the cushions dimensions and then tightening the sides in the position to which they have been newly adjusted, the procedure being identical with that taken as to the end cushion in the first instance.

Use of the device .of this invention enables an upholsterer to more accurately duplicate existing cushion patterns than has heretofore been possible, and at the same time saves much time and material, for as to the latter item, one slip based upon a wrong guess, and guessing has largely been the method heretofore used, will cause the loss of a considerable amount of expensive fabric.

The preceding statement covers my preferred construction for an adjustable cushion seat template, however, it may be stated that various changes and modifications thereof may be effected in practicing the invention in departure from the drawing and description as given, without however, departing from the true spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the appendedclaims.

Various changes may be .made in the details of the construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. .In a cushion template having a central body portion and having a band upon each of the sides thereof and in hinged endrelation so that the body portion is enclosed within the said bands, each of said bands including two members in relatively fixed relation to and adjacent the side of the body, a bolt to clamp the members of the band together, there being one bolt to each of the respective :bands, and other band members, said last mentioned band members being positioned between the first stated members and being formed with a longitudinally disposed slot to receive said bolt whereby the last mentioned band members may be moved laterally of the bolt for template purposes, and means to support said bands with respect to said body portion, said means comprising brackets adapted to encompass the bands across their section and pins, said pins being laterally adjustable with respect to said body portion and being in pivotal relation to said brackets.

2. In a cushion template having a central body portion and having a band upon each of the sides thereof and in hinged end relation so that the body portion is enclosed within the said bands, each of said bands comprising two members in relatively fixed relation to and adjacent the side of the body. Bolts to clamp the members of the bands together, and other band members, said last mentioned band members being positioned between the first stated members and being formed with a longitudinally disposed slot to receive said bolt whereby the last mentioned band members may be moved laterally of the bolt for template adjustability purposes, and means -to support said bands with respect to said body portion, said means comprising brackets having laterally bent top and bottom end portions, Substantially T shaped pins, the vertical portion of said pins being pivotally positioned within apertures formed in said laterally bent bracket portions, the horizontal portion of said pins being releasably secured in the body portion of the template whereby the bands may be moved laterally to conform with the configuration of a preformed pattern.

3. In a cushion template having a body portion and having a band upon each of the sides thereof in end relation so that the body portion is enclosed within the said bands, each of said bands including two members in relatively fixed relation to and adjacent the side of the body, a bolt to clamp the members of the'band together, and other band members, said last mentioned band members being positioned between the first stated members and being formed with a longitudinally disposed slot to receive said bolt whereby the last mentioned band members may be controllably moved laterally of the bolt for template adjustability purposes, the free ends of each of said last mentioned bands having end portions of substantially semi-circular section and being so nested together as to form a hinged connection, and means to support said bands with respect to said body portion, said means comprising brackets having laterally bent top and bottom end portions, substantially T shaped pins, one portion of said pins being pivotally positioned within apertures formed in said laterally bent bracket portions, and another portion of said pins being releasably secured in the body portion of the template whereby the bands may be moved laterally to conform with the configuration of a pre-formed pattern.

4. An adjustable cushion template comprising in combination, a body portion, a plural number of flexible bands extending around the body portion and in adjustable relation thereto, each of said adjustable bands having an end portion of substantially semi-circular section and being joined to the next adjacent adjustable band in nested relation to form a hinged'joint, said adjustable bands being slotted intermediate of its free end and its hinged connection with others of said bands, and screw means within said slots whereby the bands may be tightened or loosened to permit of longitudinal adjustment.

5. An adjustable cushion template comprising in combination, a body portion, a plural number of flexible bands extending around the body portion, certain of said bands being longitudinally adjustable with respect to other associated bands to increase and decrease the length thereof, each of said adjustable bands having an end portion of curled section and being nested with a like configuration in the next adjacent one of said adjustable bands to form a hinged joint, the adjustable bands being provided with a slot intermediate of its free end and hinged portion, and a screw within said slots whereby complementary bands may be tightened or loosened to be controllably extended to conform with a cushion edge contour.

ALONZO D. HUMAN. 

